Sketchy Airbnb has 10 basement bunk beds for over $600/month each
An Airbnb listing in Toronto is raising a few eyebrows due to the number of tenants that hosts are trying to cram into a single room for the price, which is suspiciously listed as a monthly rate.
Advertised as a “hostel” within what looks to be a private residence in High Park, the posting shows multiple bunk bed spaces available in a single basement room that can be shared by up to 10 men and women.
While hostels are often popular with young travellers for providing a far cheaper, more social form of accommodation than a traditional hotel, this one only offers stays of 28 days or more — very atypical of short-term rentals for people simply visiting.
The price for a bed appears to start at $622 per booking on a random selection of dates that fit the minimum stay requirement. This includes a $398 “monthly stay” discount from the original $1,020 price tag, which feels more like standard rent for long-term residents of the city than anything else.
“We are offering a quiet stay in one of Toronto’s most beautiful area [sic], High Park, with lots of green to explore and a place to cook. It is an old house that needs work but is clean daily and weekly deep cleaning,” the description of the place reads.
“One full bathroom for the basement unit. Capacity is eight people or max. 10,” it continues, adding peculiarly that most of what should be tourists using the hostel are “gone in day for work” and afternoon sightseeing.
With rampant concerns about the lack of enforcement of short-term rental rules in the city, and also the problematic trend of landlords piling multiple tenants — often international students — into single bedrooms amid our housing crisis, it is understandable why this listing is worrying to the local who flagged it to blogTO.
Even worse, the listing’s amenities show that guests will have access to a kitchen, wifi and washing machine, but no carbon monoxide or smoke alarms.
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